One of the many books I read in 2007 was Tony Hawks’ ROUND IRELAND WITH A FRIDGE. It’s been recommended to me a good while ago and I’ve been meaning to read this for quite some time, but it was only this year that I picked it up in a second hand book store, the place where I now buy most of my books these days.Although I knew I was a little bit behind with my reading of this book, it still came as a surprise to me when I noticed that it was first published in 1998. Hell, has it really been that long that his journey was reported on a daily basis in Gerry Ryan’s radio show?
First things first (and entirely for the non-initiated), no, this is not THE Tony Hawk, skater extraordinaire and hero of a million Playstation games, but Tony Hawks, comedian, writer and panelist on UK TV and radio shows such as Have I Got News For You, who has now also developed a very lucrative side line as a travel book writer (PLAYING THE MOLDOVANS AT TENNIS, ONE HIT WONDERLAND as well as his recent A PIANO IN THE PYRENEES).
As it goes with travel books these days it is generally not enough to just go to a country and explore people, culture and countryside. Like other current travel writers, Hawks’ journeys all need to have an outlandish premise, are often based on - alleged? - bets and are clearly inspired by the concept of Experimental Travel. For ROUND IRELAND Hawks decides to hitch a ride around the island with a fridge as a companion.
Have all those low budget flying opportunities really made us so jaded with the idea of travelling that we now need to have ever more outlandish mottos at hand to encourage us to go abroad? Not too long ago travelling meant hooking up with your mates, going aboard a ship, sailing the oceans and screwing the local lasses before being eaten by cannibals with only you left to survive to tell the story. And a bit more recently going abroad meant living the high life of a jet setter, flying in style to meet the crème de la crème in New York, Rio, Tokyo. Now your social welfare recipient from around the corner sits next to you on your €1 flight to Stockholm (that sets you back another €50 or so more once tax and ever other barely imaginable charge is taken into account), you can’t go anywhere without dropping into the people you’d choose to ignore at home and need to walk a country backwards or with a funny hat on your head to demonstrate to everyone and their mother that you are still an original traveller who is truly interested in exploring another nation.
In case it’s not clear enough, but I still prefer just going up and travelling motto less, so I was initially suspicious when I heard of Hawks’ concept of visiting Eire. I also had alarm bells ringing when I read the blurb stating that this was “one of the most inspirational stories you will ever read”. The last thing the world needs is yet another inspirational/self-help/delusional book on your shelves, yet to my surprise this was indeed a great, very humorous and, yes, inspirational read that I devoured nearly in one go.
Hawks clearly has a storyteller’s knack for detail. You can easily imagine him sitting in a pub with a pint in his hand, telling everyone about his crazy journey around Ireland. Just that you don’t need to await a chance to meet him in a pub, but for the prize of two beers can read his exploits at home. His passion for meeting people comes out of every page in the book and you will for a long time be able to remember some of the characters he encounters. It’s been a while since I last properly got up and actually travelled the length and breadth of this country, but this book stirred up my passion again, so in 2007 I intend to pay every single county a visit again.
Thanks, Tony.
